The formation of sorbate/sorbent complexes utilizing polar adsorbate gases having a dipole moment to undergo a thermal chemical reaction forming a complex compound as an exothermic adsorption reaction are known. The employment of complex compounds as heat pump working fluids in state of the art systems is also known. Suitable adsorbate ligand gases such as water, ammonia and methanol combined with relatively inexpensive salts such as sodium chloride, calcium chloride, sodium bromide and strontium chloride as well as zeolites or charcoals combined with water, ammonia, methanol, lower alkanes, hydrogen, and solids/gas metal hydrides are relatively inexpensive systems and offer a highly advantageous and economical method of producing energy for refrigeration or cold storage systems. The process may also be reversed as an endothermic desorption reaction process whereby the materials may be recovered and used again.
It is to the use of such inexpensive and commercially advantageous energy and mass transfer systems that the method and apparatus of the present invention is intended.